COLUMBIA, S.C. - U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has been sworn in as a reserve appellate military judge on the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Graham is the only member of the U.S. Senate to serve in either a guard or reserve unit. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The court of criminal appeals is the highest judicial body within the Air Force. The court reviews and hears appeals of convictions by court-martial within the Air Force.

"It is a great honor and privilege to have been selected to serve on the Air Force Criminal Court of Appeals," Graham said. "Over the past twenty years, the fine men and women of the United States Air Force have had a great impact on my life and I am excited about the opportunity to continue my service in this capacity."

Graham joined the U.S. Air Force in 1982 and was assigned as an assistant staff judge advocate at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. He was selected in 1983 to be the area defense counsel at Shaw, where he served one year.

He then served as a circuit trial counsel and was transferred to the Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany. Graham left active duty in 1988, established a private law practice and began serving in the South Carolina Air National Guard.

After Graham was elected to Congress in 1995, he joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

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